Breakdown of Calculatorul este destul de dificil pentru bunica, care preferă jocuri simple.
pentru
for
a fi
to be
a prefera
to prefer
simplu
simple
destul de
enough
jocul
the game
calculatorul
the computer
dificil
difficult
bunica
the grandma
care
who
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Questions & Answers about Calculatorul este destul de dificil pentru bunica, care preferă jocuri simple.
What does Calculatorul mean, and why doesn’t it mean “calculator” as in a math tool?
In Romanian, calculator actually means computer. A handheld calculator is usually called mașină de calcul or calculator de buzunar. The ending -ul is the enclitic definite article: calculator + ul = the computer.
Why is it destul de dificil and not destul dificil?
When destul means “quite/fairly” before an adjective, it’s always destul de + adjective. Without de, destul by itself means “enough” (e.g. Am destul timp = I have enough time).
Could I say Calculatorul este destul de greu instead?
Yes. Dificil and greu both mean “difficult,” though greu (“hard”) is more colloquial. So Calculatorul este destul de greu (“The computer is quite hard”) is perfectly natural.
Why is there a comma before care preferă jocuri simple?
That comma marks a non-defining (parenthetical) relative clause. “bunica” is already identified (your grandma), and “which prefers simple games” just adds extra info. Non-defining clauses in Romanian are always set off by commas.
Why use care instead of pe care or another relative pronoun?
Care is the general Romanian relative pronoun. You’d use pe care only if the pronoun is the direct object in its clause (e.g. bunica, pe care o ajut = “grandma, whom I help”). Here bunica is the subject of preferă, so plain care is correct.
Why is it pentru bunica and not showing any special case ending?
The preposition pentru (“for”) takes the accusative, but Romanian marks the definite article by suffixing it to the noun. Bunica already has the article -a, so pentru bunica simply means “for (the) grandma.”
Why are jocuri simple without an article?
After preferă, the direct object is indefinite here—she likes simple games in general, not the simple games. You could say niște jocuri simple (“some simple games”), but in everyday speech it’s common to leave jocuri simple bare when the meaning is clear.
Why is the adjective simple plural and not simpli?
Simplu has four forms: simplu (m.sg.), simplă (f.sg.), simpli (m.pl.), simple (f.pl.). Nouns like joc are technically neuter—they act like masculine in singular and feminine in plural—so in jocuri (neuter plural) you use the feminine plural adjective ending -e, giving simple.